The President-elect of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, this Monday begins the challenges he will have to face for the third time Brazil, a divided country, but the first problem is the silence of the defeated president in the second round, Jair Bolsonaro.
Brazilians have not yet heard from the far-right president, who has not spoken publicly after the results were announced, nor has he called Lula da Silva, as usual.
Since the inception of electronic voting machines in presidential elections in 1998, it is the first time that a defeated candidate has not made public statements after the election. On Monday morning, Bolsonaro received General Braga Netto and his eldest son, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, at Palácio do Alvorada.
The left-wing politician’s victory fueled his political “resurrection,” as 77-year-old Lula herself described it.
The Workers’ Party (PT) leader defeated Bolsonaro by a narrow margin, taking 50.9% of the vote against 49.1% for the current 67-year-old president.
Aware of the challenges he will face from January 1, 2023, when he returns to the Planalto Palace, Lula acknowledged in his post-victory speech that he will rule “in a very difficult situation”.
“But I am confident that with the help of the people we will find a way out so that this country can live democratically again. And we can even restore peace between families, those who diverge, so that we can build the world we need have,” he stated.
“strong” opposition
Bolsonaro is silent in Palácio da Alvorada, the official residence in Brasilia. During the campaign, he shared mixed messages about acknowledging defeat.
Only a few of the president’s allies in Congress admitted defeat on social media, an area in which Bolsonarismo is permanently active.
“I am half happy and half worried because starting tomorrow I have to start worrying about how we are going to run the country. I need to know if the president we defeated will allow a transition for us to know things,” said Lula Sunday night.
The transition can be challenging for Lula, explains Paulo Calmon, a professor of political science at the University of Brasília.
“Lula needs to be careful, first with a ‘third round’: with any challenge that Bolsonaro and his allies create, such as (Donald) Trump in the United States, to delegitimize his victory and mobilize his voters against him,” the statement said. professor. to AFP.
Lula had two million votes more than Bolsonaro, the smallest runoff victory in the history of Brazilian democracy.after a polarized and tense campaign.
Marco António Teixeira, a political scientist at the Getúlio Vargas Foundation, stated that the president-elect will have to work to “extend the legitimacy of the government”, with the presence in the executive branch of “non-PT sectors”.
He named names as the third candidate with the most votes in the first round, Senator Simone Tebet, who supported Lula in the second round. It must also engage in a dialogue with the Bolsonarist governors.
“Thus, it can increase its legitimacy and expand support by entering bolsonarist sectors. It is necessary to unite the country,” Teixeira added.
Lula, who ruled Brazil from 2003 to 2010, comes to power with the support of the most vulnerable, a group that has an affectionate memory of the wealth under his rule. He made several promises to improve the economy, including raising the minimum wage and strengthening social programs.
Adriano Laureno, of consulting firm Prospectiva, said Bolsonaro’s result, the second most voted result in the country’s history, means Lula will have “strong, organized opposition, including on the streets”.
Lula faces tough economic challenges
During the campaign, the PT leader highlighted the socio-economic achievements of his first two terms, such as lifting more than 30 million Brazilians out of poverty.
Lula’s third term will not have the same favorable scenario: While the economy is showing signs of improvement, with growth, less inflation and more employment, it is far from the prosperity of the 2000s and faces a world at risk of a global recession.
“It is a government that starts with a lot of effort in the economic part. It will take over in a complicated international scenario, in a possible recession, with very high interest rates in Brazil and another fiscal bomb to face” (400 billion reais), Laureno said.
In Congress, where conservatives are in the majority, with several Bolsonaro allies elected on Oct. 2, Lula could face more complicated legislative opposition than in his previous term.
Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party will have the largest bench in the Chamber of Deputies, with 99 representatives.
“The issue of governability will be a challenge. Lula will have to form a ministerial team with other parties to ensure that he assumes the presidency in a stronger legislative position,” Laureno sums up.
Source: DN
